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Too early to jump in to an Android tablet?

variantvariant Registered User regular
I'm not really an early adopter of tech, despite loving all new tech...I like the bugs to be worked out, the battery life improved, and I'm cheap!

So is it still too early to jump in to an Android tablet? Can these things webchat over Skype? Can you run ms office? Can you print with a wireless or wired printer? Can you remote in to a win7 pc?
And speed matters ofcourse...

I'd rather not settle for an ipad as it's expensive and doesn't have any of these features...

Thanks for your help!

variant on

Posts

  • Big Red TieBig Red Tie beautiful clydesdale style feet too hot to trotRegistered User regular
    edited March 2011
    lol

    Big Red Tie on
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  • BradicusMaximusBradicusMaximus Pssssssssyyyyyyyy duckRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I just got my Viewsonic Gtablet from Woot about 3 days ago. Stock, this thing sucks balls. It has tap n tap on it, which is just terrible on the system and doesn't take advantage of anything. If you're not afraid to root it, it becomes a beast. With it rooted, yes you can webchat over skype, yes you can run office, not so sure about the printer, and yes you can remote into your pc. The screen is a bit iffy, certain angles arent great for viewing but that hasn't really bothered me. Under the hood it has a tegra 2, so its pretty damn fast. I can usually get my battery to last about 9+ hours. Its also a bit on the heavy side (like 1.3 pounds) but thats pretty easy to get past. All in all I'm quite happy with it, I've been wanting a tablet for a while but didn't want to shell out 500+ bucks. So as far as prices go, and you're willing to tinker with it a little, with the gtab you really get bang for you buck. I can't speak for any other android based tablets, though I did have my eye on the galaxy tab 10.1 and it looked pretty promising. I think the wifi model was set for 400$ and it has Honeycomb right off the bat.

    BradicusMaximus on
  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products, Transition Team regular
    edited April 2011
    you can run office.
    o_O

    Ummm, you may need to explain yourself on that one.

    syndalis on
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  • syndalissyndalis Getting Classy On the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Products, Transition Team regular
    edited April 2011
    variant wrote: »
    I'm not really an early adopter of tech, despite loving all new tech...I like the bugs to be worked out, the battery life improved, and I'm cheap!

    So is it still too early to jump in to an Android tablet? Can these things webchat over Skype? Can you run ms office? Can you print with a wireless or wired printer? Can you remote in to a win7 pc?
    And speed matters ofcourse...

    I'd rather not settle for an ipad as it's expensive and doesn't have any of these features...

    Thanks for your help!

    Also, just to break this down:

    1: Skype kicks ass on the iPad, and can do video/audio chat no problem.
    2: No tablet except for ones that can run full Microsoft windows can run MS office natively. Both android and iOS have office alternatives, with iOS having the most robust in their iWork suite.
    3: you can print from an iPad to any printer connected to your Mac or pc via AirPrint hacktivator... And if you own an HP ePrint model printer, you don't even need a computer at all.
    4: there are 50 billion kickass remote desktop apps for the iPad. Honestly, the RDP apps on the iPad are far FAR more mature than the android offerings at the moment... Having a portable 1024x768 RDP thin client was a major selling point of the platform for me.

    Like, it sounds like you just assumed the iPad couldn't do these things, and you couldn't be more wrong.

    syndalis on
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  • KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Yeah, Ipad does pretty much everything you're looking for. Good luck finding the Ipad 2.

    If you want to get an Android tablet (don't blame you, I much prefer Honeycomb to IOS) holding off till the Samsung Tablet 10.1 is probably the best idea.

    Kyougu on
  • rockmonkeyrockmonkey Little RockRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Not to be too biased since I'm an ipad owner, but I'd have to agree with syn. Also as for the ipad being expensive, due to having more models currently available you can get a 16GB wifi ipad2 much cheaper than the Xoom which is the only major honeycomb tablet out at the moment, and if you don't need the bleeding edge of the ipad2 then refurbished/gently used ipad1's are REALLY cheap for what you get and the only thing you'd be missing is the video conferencing and the faster hardware. It seems you'd be better off with the ipad2 for your needs, but just mentioning the ipad1 if money is a major factor.

    cheaperst ipad2 model (if you can find it) $499, cheapeast ipad1 you're likely to find $350, both of those are kick ass prices for what you get. If you have the money then you can get the wifi only Xoom for $599 I believe, and while it can probably do those things you listed, you'll be limited for a bit at first to your options on the apps that can make it do those things, as the ones out right now might not be as full featured as the ipad equivalent app being either that they are 1.0 version apps, and need time to mature, or that they are only out already because they were rushed to market whereas others in development may be taking the time to add in more quality. This last is partly speculation, but typically how these things go.

    If you're set on honeycomb then the xoom is nice, but don't discount the ipad2 simply because you think it might not have the features you want without looking into it more.

    rockmonkey on
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  • finnithfinnith ... TorontoRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    If you're looking for a good price you might want to wait for the Asus tablets to come out. One was accidentally listed on Best Buy to be priced at $400.

    I don' think they've talked much about the features of the device though.

    finnith on
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  • variantvariant Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Yeah the Asus Ee Pad is what I'm considering, it's going to have honeycomb, right?
    In terms of other Apps, all the older apps should work just fine on honeycomb right?

    variant on
  • BradicusMaximusBradicusMaximus Pssssssssyyyyyyyy duckRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Yes and yes

    BradicusMaximus on
  • SyphonBlueSyphonBlue The studying beaver That beaver sure loves studying!Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    The Eee Pad is running a gross looking skin on top of Honeycomb. I would wait for the Samsung 8.9/10.1. It's pretty much stock Honeycomb, with some surprisingly awesome looking TouchWiz additions.

    SyphonBlue on
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  • Skoal CatSkoal Cat Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I have an early model Eee netbook and have been very happy with it. I am in love with the Eee Slider but learned from the netbook cycle that early generations really do suffer.

    Skoal Cat on
  • JacksWastedLifeJacksWastedLife Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    My Xoom rocks skype and adobe connect conferences with it's front facing camera. Last I checked there wasn't one of those on the iPad 1.

    Open Office should handle your productivity needs. I also use google docs all the time at work.

    Printing is easy.

    There are dozens of viable RDP options on the Android marketplace.

    The price point of a Xoom is pretty high but there are supposedly going to be wifi only versions available sometime next week.

    JacksWastedLife on
  • Big Red TieBig Red Tie beautiful clydesdale style feet too hot to trotRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    iPad........2?!

    Big Red Tie on
    3926 4292 8829
    Beasteh wrote: »
    *おなら*
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Unpossible!

    The ipad2 is so bad it's not even being stocked anymore. They cant even find people willing to touch them for transport

    Abracadaniel on
  • variantvariant Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    The Xoom is way out of my price range, it's double my price range I would say (It's $800 right, plus $monthly for 3g) That's just craziness, and the WiFi version is $600, that's as expensive as an iPad...

    I wasn't aware that the iPad could do a lot of these things, I'm actually leaning towards shelling out the extra 1/200$ now but they're not even in stock anywhere!

    The Galaxy 10.1 is out of the question, the current 7" galaxy is $500, if the price isn't lower than an iPad, I'm not even gonna consider it. In the end these are fairly low powered laptops, they're practically netbooks with touch screens, yes they're immensely convenient compared to a laptop but not so much so that I'm willing to part with $6-700 for one.

    variant on
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    It sounds more like you're in the market for a laptop, then.

    Abracadaniel on
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2011
    variant wrote: »
    The Xoom is way out of my price range, it's double my price range I would say (It's $800 right, plus $monthly for 3g) That's just craziness, and the WiFi version is $600, that's as expensive as an iPad...

    I wasn't aware that the iPad could do a lot of these things, I'm actually leaning towards shelling out the extra 1/200$ now but they're not even in stock anywhere!

    The Galaxy 10.1 is out of the question, the current 7" galaxy is $500, if the price isn't lower than an iPad, I'm not even gonna consider it. In the end these are fairly low powered laptops, they're practically netbooks with touch screens, yes they're immensely convenient compared to a laptop but not so much so that I'm willing to part with $6-700 for one.

    Well, there is only one Honeycomb tablet available at the moment, the Motorola Xoom, which retails for $599 for the 32GB WiFi only version. I don't think anyone would recommend that you buy an Android tablet that isn't running Honeycomb. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 32GB is coming out at the same pricepoint, but with a cheaper/lower capacity model alongside it, at $499 for 16GB.

    I'd have to agree with the others in this thread though, for what you've said you want to do with it, you probably want an iPad 2. Everything you've mentioned is available already, and the platform has had enough time to mature that there are some really great solutions on the app store.

    If you don't want an iPad 2, you probably want to wait. Whether you pick up a Xoom or a Tab, or even RIM's PlayBook, you're very much buying into an early adopter's platform. Honeycomb apps are maturing a little more slowly than expected. I'd hope that the Xoom and Galaxy Tab 10.1 entering the realm of affordability will help spur a rush of development for Honeycomb apps, but whether that actually happens is anyone's guess at this point. RIM and HP/Palm are about to throw their hats into the ring with their own platforms, which could either kick Honeycomb development up a notch to stay competitive, or steal developer support. I think it's a waiting game right now to see how customers react to these things out of the gate.

    Monoxide on
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I think you have an incorrect perception of what constitutes a fair price for a tablet.

    I do not know the cost of one but you will notice that all if these have similar prices. Considering that apple is the only maker of these products who could theoretically sell these items at a loss (and make it up through app sales) I do not think it is correct in saying that it is an expensive device.

    Blake T on
  • FairchildFairchild Rabbit used short words that were easy to understand, like "Hello Pooh, how about Lunch ?" Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I'd certainly recommend an Android tablet that not's running Fruit Loops. I have the current 7" Samsung Galaxy tablet 3G version and I'm very happy with it.

    The price point for a "good" tablet is in the $500 range, and probably higher. If you are looking for a tablet that is cheaper than that they certainly exist but you will get what you are paying for in terms of speed and app support.

    Fairchild on
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    For me, personally, a prerequisite for having an Android tablet would be..Netflix.

    Yes, I am shallow. But I pretty much demanded having Netflix on my phone, much less something like a tablet with a nice, large screen. So I'd say it's a bit too early to jump to a Android Tablet.

    Of course, that's purely my own situation.

    Synthesis on
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2011
    Blake T wrote: »
    I think you have an incorrect perception of what constitutes a fair price for a tablet.

    I do not know the cost of one but you will notice that all if these have similar prices. Considering that apple is the only maker of these products who could theoretically sell these items at a loss (and make it up through app sales) I do not think it is correct in saying that it is an expensive device.

    Apple actually keeps prices down through heavy investments in (or part ownership of) nearly the entire supply chain, from R&D to production to retail outlets. No other manufacturers can really control pricing that way, except maybe Samsung. They still make a very healthy profit off of each iPad sold.

    Monoxide on
  • JacksWastedLifeJacksWastedLife Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Synthesis wrote: »
    For me, personally, a prerequisite for having an Android tablet would be..Netflix.

    Yes, I am shallow. But I pretty much demanded having Netflix on my phone, much less something like a tablet with a nice, large screen. So I'd say it's a bit too early to jump to a Android Tablet.

    Of course, that's purely my own situation.

    The lack of Netflix is the biggest issue I have with my Xoom.

    Also the fact that it isn't an Eee Slate. An Eee Slate with the battery life of my Xoom would be an incredibly awesome portable sketchpad

    JacksWastedLife on
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